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Christ

I was able to talk to my brother a while back. It’s been a while since we’ve chatted & I think it’s funny that the first thing he said was “I miss your hugs!!” It’s like routine for us. If one of us ever has a bad day we just walk through the door, hug it out, & life is good. We don’t really feel the need to say anything but that’s how we do it. That’s when the stresses seem to melt away a little.

“The words ‘I love you,’ ‘Thank you very much,’ & ‘Forgive me’ are like a balm to the soul.” – Elder Falabella

I was reading in the Bible today & found a great story about two brothers. Maybe you heard of Jacob & Esau?
They were brothers & rivals for pretty much all their lives. They competed for blessings, land, & money. Their story is one of intense feelings and bitter rivalry, but it has a ‘happily ever-after’. It prompts us to evaluate our own family relationships and suggests some ways we may attempt to resolve any lingering unkind feelings. Esau focused more on the things of the world, while Jacob was a “plain man”. Eventually, after a long time away from each-other the hard feelings they harbored melted away. When Esau saw Jacob for the first time in forever, he “embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept”.

That is a reminder to me of what Elder Kopischke has said about being accepted:

“The feeling of being accepted by someone we love is a basic human need. Being accepted by good people motivates us. It increases our sense of self-worth & self-confidence.

[The Lord’s] loving acceptance will motivate us, increase our faith &help us deal with everything we face in life. Despite our challenges, we will be successful & prosper & feel at peace.“

The Lord has given us families for us to help strengthen each other during difficult times. It’s not always happiness & roses. Zach & I had some rough times. Jacob & Esau learned to forgive. But at the end of the day, when we can love & forgive each other- HUG it out!- we’re doing good.

Life gets rainy sometimes & we want the Lord to take away the rain. But instead- he lets it rain because we need it & gives us an umbrella. I feel like those umbrellas can be our family who help us get through hard times. Many times I’ve been driving with my brother, or my mom & we’ll just talk about whatever is going on. It doesn’t take the problem away, but at that moment the problem doesn’t need to be solved. What we need to know is even through our trials & hard times, we are loved.

The pitter-patter of rain
Falling to the ground
Wetting my hair
Bringing joy to my soul
Cleansing the earth.
Lightning flashes
Thunder booms
Bringing fear to some
Exhilaration to others
Music to my ears.
The storm slows
Then fades away
A fresh smell
Fills the land
A stripe of colors
Lights the sky.
The colors will fade
The smell covered
Till the rain comes again
To make the earth
Clean again.
-BY JESSICA HOUSER

So this is sort of a break from the Christmas rush & overwhelmingness of the season. It started the other day with a text from the Elders that went something like this:“Hey, Sisters! Could you go help with a Sister in the ward ASAP? Let us know if you can help her!! ASAP!!”

So of course, we say yes we can help. Then we get a message that says:“Ok good. We don’t know what’s going on but something about a Komodo Dragon!”

On our way there, we get a call from another couple asking us if we’re going to help with the Dragon. They suggested we call the fire department just in case. We wanted to check out the situation before we did that. Have you ever seen two girls in skirts chasing a Komodo Dragon?! We were trying to figure out how we were going to catch it. And how it even got in this lady’s house! Needless to say, we were exuberant!!

So we get there and she the front door is open, we walk in. The lady who needed help was sitting on the couch crying & told us not to laugh. She pointed at the front door & said: “It’s behind the door!”

We look behind the door & find a small lizard, about the size of the palm of my hand.

I’m sure you’ve felt like that. Where it’s just been a rough, awful, tough day. Nothing could go worse. The stress levels are high & and if any little thing goes wrong then it just feels like you’ve been hit by a Goliath… or Kimono Dragon. And to some people, it may not seem like a big deal, but to you it matters.

When Christ suffered for us, He didn’t just suffer for our sins. He has felt every stress, every moment we feel alone, every time we’ve felt we just can’t push on one more day or hour. Christ knows what that feels like. He didn’t just do that because those moments matter to you, but because you matter to Him.

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” – Luke 10:19

So whenever a Komodo Dragon or Goliath enters into your life, you always have someone to call on for backup.

Why Hello! I'm a missionary for the LDS church in Northern Florida! I love my family & all the wild times we have together. I love art, food & music. And I really love this church, which is all about families!